I have now been taking Stelara every 4 weeks for 4 months. My Crohn's symptoms are pretty much non-existent at this point, and I cry just thinking about how much better I feel...from a year ago, and even just 6 months ago. I feel like remission is in site; which is such an incredible gift, considering that I will hit 3 years out of remission next month. Our schedule has been jam-packed with activities this last couple of months, and it is not lost on me that there is no way I could have done so many things a year ago. There is no way that I would have had the energy for all our schedule demands, even just 6 months ago. And that is cause for HUGE celebration and praise!
However, there has been a pretty steep price to pay for my Crohn's feeling better, and that is the increased frequency and severity of migraines, which is a side effect of the medication. I am not at the "chronic migraine" stage yet {which is defined as 15 or more headache days a month ...thankfully}, but I'm not far. And as hard as it has been for me, I can't believe it has to get so much worse to be considered a chronic problem. I have been averaging about 1 a week, or about 12 days a month {since they can last 2-3 days}, and it has been such a challenge...
Most of my migraines start with a heavy pressure in my nose {random, I know}. That pressure builds to the point where it eventually feels like someone punched me in the face, which then spreads into an ice-pick headache behind my eyes. Many of them come with nausea and vomiting, though the last couple of migraine episodes, I have been {thankfully} spared those symptoms. The Lord has also been gracious to allow the worst of the migraines to happen overnight, though the last few have been during the day, which makes it a challenge with 3 loud kiddos running around.
I still haven't identified any food triggers, but am more and more convinced that the medication is causing them, and the weather often triggers them. I also haven't ruled out a hormone issue yet. I have appointments scheduled between now and the end of the year with my GI {to discuss confirmation of remission and Stelara side effects}, my gynecologist {to see if there is a hormone issue}, and a GP {to get help with migraine management/treatment}. I even have an appointment with an oral surgeon to finally get my wisdom teeth removed, just in case the pressure from my wisdom teeth is somehow making the headaches worse. I'm probably grasping at straws on that one, but they have to come out anyway :)
My point in posting this is not to complain. They have absolutely been a challenge, and these migraines have brought me to my knees on more than one occasion. But when I read back through my posts of my Crohn's symptoms a year or 2 or {almost} 3 years ago, I am reminded of where I have been, how the Lord has sustained me, and how far He has brought me. So I hope that one day soon, I will be able to look back over these migraine days and rejoice over the Lord's healing and care.
My kids have recently started saying this sweet little phrase: "Mommy, what if we could just snap our fingers and you had no more Crohn's?" Oh, what if, my baby loves?!? I love their little hearts and how they faithfully pray "for Mommy to feel better and be healed from Crohn's" every mealtime. I'm sad that so much of their little years have been filled with a sick Mommy. But I am grateful for the Lord's forever watch-care over us, sustaining us through these long years of sickness, and for the hope he brings in glimpses of healing. While I pray so much for healing here {and soon}, I also long for the day when the Lord is able to look at me and with only His Word say, "Erin, you have no more Crohn's."
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